GARDNERS, PA. (August 5, 2010) - A program on trail design and maintenance will be given at the Appalachian Trail Museum on Saturday, August 14, at 9:30 a.m.

Museum summer intern Christie Marinari will share with those attending the importance of proper trail design and on-going maintenance to keep the Appalachian Trail in top condition for experienced and novice hikers alike.

Marinari, a senior at Shippensburg University, will conduct her presentation while leading those attending on a 1.5 mile hike along Mountain Creek Trail in Pine Grove Furnace State Park (www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/pinegrovefurnace). Program participants should meet at the Pole Steeple Parking Lot inside the park at 9 :30 a.m. Marinari said that the presentation and hike will begin from there, last about an hour and end with a tour of the Appalachian Trail Museum.

Located in Pine Grove Furnace State Park near the Mountain Creek Trail, the Appalachian Trail Museum is in a 200-year-old restored grist mill that is across from the Pine Grove General Store and is two miles from the midway point of the Appalachian Trail. Exhibits in the museum honor those who founded, constructed and first thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. Since its opening on June 5, 2010, more than 4,000 people have visited the museum. More information is available at the museum's website, www.atmuseum.org, and info@atmuseum.org.

About the Appalachian Trail Museum Society

The Appalachian Trail Museum Society, a 501-C-3 not-for-profit organization formed in 2002, organizes programs, exhibits, volunteers and fundraising nationwide for the Appalachian Trail Museum. The museum opened on June 5, 2010, as a tribute to the thousands of men, women and families who have hiked and maintained the 2,179 mile long hiking trail that passes through 14 states from Maine to Georgia. Located in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Gardners, Pennsylvania, the museum is conveniently near Carlisle, Gettysburg and Chambersburg, Pennslynvania. Additional information is available at www.atmuseum.org.